Dracula’s Child – J.S Barnes

Published: 12 May 2020
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 576
Series: Stand Alone
Format Read: Audible

Blurp:

It has been some years since Jonathan and Mina Harker survived their ordeal in Transylvania and, vanquishing Count Dracula, returned to England to try and live ordinary lives. But shadows linger long in this world of blood feud and superstition – and, the older their son Quincy gets, the deeper the shadows that lengthen at the heart of the Harkers’ marriage. Jonathan has turned back to drink; Mina finds herself isolated inside the confines of her own family; Quincy himself struggles to live up to a family of such high renown. And when a gathering of old friends leads to unexpected tragedy, the very particular wounds in the heart of the Harkers’ marriage are about to be exposed…

There is darkness both within the marriage and without – for, while Jonathan and Mina wrestle with the right way to raise a child while still recovering from the trauma of their past lives, new evil is arising on the Continent. A naturalist is bringing a new species of bat back to London; two English gentlemen, on their separate tours of the continent, find a strange quixotic love for each other, and stumble into a calamity far worse than either has imagined; and the vestiges of something thought long-ago forgotten is, finally, beginning to stir…

Thoughts:

Telegram From Milou to Dave 3 October 2020

My dearest Dave, love of my life, fire of my hearth, soil of my earth, lovey dove, my pretty potato. I have stumbled upon such a great discovery once again that we can embark upon. A tale of such epic proportions, of good vs evil. Oh, would you my love, read this book along with me please? I would be ever so grateful and forever be your loving, devoted wife. Oh sunshine to my gloomy day, what say you? Say yes please?

P.S 

You never finished that left over lasagne from that other read we did together last month so you can just pop that in the oven, I am not going to be home before tomorrow as me and the GURLS are working extra shifts. Kissy kissy kissy.

Reply to Milou’s telegram, received 7 October 2020

Oke ( inserted pictogram of a rose followed by a hand with the thumbs up gesture) {Somewhere on the other side of the telegram in invisible ink the words “oh shit” are just visible when read under the right lighting conditions}…

It feels like just yesterday I said that there are beter Vampire novels out there in the world. Since that statement, I have kinda started to doubt my own words as I have read two Vampire novels Dracula’s child being somewhat better than the other one I still need to type up a review for, but that will probably only happen some time in December. I have run out of time to type up reviews this month still. I blame the WP blockeditor bullshittery that has kinda not only put me of from posting frequently, but even as I am now somewhat familiar with the way I do my posts, getting to the actual writing of one takes me ages to set up.

Not here to rant about WP’s shittyness, I came here for a book review. I read this with my wife Milou, who has already written a way better review than I will be capable of putting together click her name if you are not already a follower of her amazing blog. This book, for me, was a near perfect yet imperfect sequel to the original Dracula which I also reviewed earlier this month. It not only followed up after the events that happened, but also continued the terror that Dracula managed to leave behind with each of the surviving members from the original book. Barnes did a pretty decent job of making it feel as if it was actually Bram Stoker’s work with the same use of the note-like story telling that the original Dracula is well known for. Barnes, I feel, must have done some very extensive research for bringing these characters forward and making them feel like they did age a little bit since Dracula. Barnes also seems to have not given thought to the idea that even after the Dracula ordeal, the survivors would’ve learned of their mistakes and been more open eyed going through their life, but no, you can expect the same idiocy coming from people whose heads you already wanted to bash in the original. Idiots do not learn all too quickly hence the word idiot. 

So events happen and people even think to that fateful event over at Book Dracula, yet decide to look passed it all and write notes to one another, or keep a diary of events where you reflect on your goings-ons and still do not remember that your life was in danger not so many years ago. I was a bit noted out after a while, while the story was not boring, the meandering and pandering to the past did tend to grate on me, but the story was kinda cool. Dracula never really died and somehow left some of his “essence” within Mina which transferred over to her boy Quincy. Quincy shows signs of split personality as well as being a smart ass, yet the parents look towards it as “boys will be boys”, or that the kid is just going through some phase. Were I to have a son one day that did not know his place, nor shown his elders respect, oh boy, I feel sorry for that kid… Anyhow, there is a plot within a plot within a plot all to use Quincy as the vessel for Dracula’s rebirth or something, I lost some interest after finding out there was some character skulking around Budapest who likes to fondle boys 7 times younger than himself that falls in some form of love with another eccentric dude that just oozed male to male contact was gonna happen at some point, never mind the boys already fondled… Some parts of this book was creepy and well written but to get to them you had to sit through woe is me and the sort of boring back and forth letters that bored me in Dracula already. Maybe I am not the target audience the book was aimed at. I did see it through to the end and I am glad I did and that I could do it with Milou as I felt we cringed at many parts at some points, which I feel is a good sign that we have at least some sort of taste when it comes to what we read in books.

I said I would not know how to review this novel and I know I have done a pretty shitty job of doing so, but that is what Dracula’s Child will be, you will either love it or not like it as much. I fall in the unpopular I did not love it but did not hate it, but do not expect me to go through it again side of the fence. Dracula’s Child got a 3 out of 5 from me. I do not know if I qualify as some one who can recommend it to someone. Read it if you want your Dracula nostalgia somewhat kindled, do not read it if you have a problem with all sorts of man on man action is involved. As this is a Vampire novel there are quite some sucking involved and I am not talking about the book sucking in any way…